About

Established in 1901, The Chapin School is a K-12 independent day school for girls that is dedicated to the intellectual and personal growth of its students as it prepares them to thrive and lead in a global society.Learn More

Academics

Here you will learn more about Chapin's rigorous liberal arts program which prepares students for further academic study and encourages the development of curiosity, creativity and integrity. Learn More

Athletics

Chapin is committed to fostering a sound athletic program as an integral part of the total educational experience. Our teams nurture the development of good sportsmanship, moral integrity and athletic excellence.Learn More

Building Project

Welcome to Chapin’s community resource page for the school’s current building project. In order to better support our educational goals, we are expanding our school’s programmatic space. We hope you’ll read more about this in our Academic Mission section below. This page will be updated when new information is available, so please check back regularly.

Thursday, February 21, 2019 is the date for Chapin’s next Community Construction Committee (CCC) meeting. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.

Questions or comments are welcome and may be directed to our community contact number, 212.606.3225, or to the email address project@chapin.edu. These inquiries will be answered as soon as possible. (Other non-emergency reports should be directed to 311 and emergencies to 911.)

Our school’s building project is now at a phase where a crane will be used at the site. Below are answers to community questions regarding the crane and its operation.

Our number one priority is the safety of our neighborhood and our school community. As we move forward, please let us know if you have further questions regarding crane operations by emailing us at project@chapin.edu or calling 212-606-3225.

The NYC Building Code required a New York State Licensed Professional Engineer to submit engineered drawings and plans related to the crane’s assembly and operations to the NYC Department of Building’s Cranes and Derricks Unit (NYC DOB C&D) for approval. The design reflects the type of crane needed for the job, the work the crane performs, the limitations of the existing footprint and the needs of the new structure.

Considerations:

All of the designs listed below adhere to the rules and regulations set forth by building codes, OSHA regulations, the Cranes and Derricks Unit, as well as the crane’s manufacturer specifications:

Placement of the crane at the job site

Placement of the crane as it relates to the roadway and the surrounding buildings and sidewalks

Placement of the crane as it relates to the existing structure

Placement of the crane is it relates to the needs of the new structure

Tie-back (a steel structural support piece) into the building

Configuration of crane as it relates to weather (weather vane mode)

Configuration of the crane as it relates to current site conditions, i.e., hoist, sidewalk shed and pedestrian walkway

Crane Approval and Inspections:

The crane engineering has been fully reviewed and approved by the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB) Cranes and Derricks Unit.

There were multiple stages to obtaining approval from DOB/Cranes and Derricks to assemble our tower crane. Each stage required inspections of the physical components of the crane prior to assembly onsite. Completed

These inspections were made by inspection agencies hired by the professional team responsible for that particular stage of planning or assembly.

Inspections took place during the onsite crane assembly. DOB/Cranes and Derricks gave permission to assemble the crane AFTER it had passed an Unassembled Inspection. Completed

DOB/Cranes and Derricks will give permission to operate the crane AFTER it has passed an Assembled Inspection. Completed

Crane Installation:

New York City requires a “Licensed Rigger/Master Rigger” to supervise the assembly or disassembly of a tower crane.

Crane Schedule

Crane Grillage: COMPLETED 9/23/17

During the tower crane’s grillage installation, a hydraulic crane was used as an “assist crane” on East 84thStreet. To temporarily accommodate the assist crane, East 84th Street was closed for the day as dictated by the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT).

Tower Crane Installation: COMPLETED 10/22/17

Crane was delivered/installed on October 21/22

A 2-day street closure of 84th Street, between York and East End Avenues, was required.

Tower Crane was tested, inspected, and approved for use (November, 3, 2017)

Additional sections added to the crane, bringing it to its final height. COMPLETED 4/2/18

Crane Support:

The crane is supported by 6 caissons drilled 50 feet into the ground, including 20 feet of bedrock to further anchor the crane.

A steel framework or “grillage,” engineered specifically for this project, acts as the foundation for the crane and was designed by New York State Licensed Engineer to support the crane.

The Tower crane at Chapin was engineered to tie into the building at the 9th floor; a steel collar, with 3 struts will be placed around the tower section of the crane and three steel struts will be “tied” into the existing structure providing added support and stability to the crane.

The tie-back is designed by an engineer to meet the needs and the usage of the crane and the project.

The engineer who designed the crane for use on this project determined that it should be “tied” into the building at the 9th floor. The elevation at which the crane is going to be “tied” into the building was fully reviewed and approved by DOB.

As required by the NYC Department of Buildings, liability insurance in the amount of $80 million is carried for crane use.

A licensed maintenance engineer from Stonebridge inspects the crane daily while the crane is in use.

A monthly inspection is performed by a service technician, regardless of crane usage.

In addition, a weekly visual inspection of the crane is conducted by Stonebridge, regardless of usage.

JRM, in conjunction with Stonebridge, supervises all construction activity. There is a JRM supervisor on duty for each shift at all times, whether school is in or out of session. In addition, there is a licensed Site Safety manager on site during all construction related activities. Members of our facilities team, led by Tom Palermo, are also on site during all work periods. There is a security guard on site 24 hours per day regardless of construction activity.

Crane Schedule/Timeline:

Following DOB inspection and installation, the tower crane is planned to be onsite from Fall 2017 through Winter 2018, for a period of approximately 15-16 months.

The first phase of crane operations began on Saturday, November 11, 2017 and includes three essential construction components:

Steel erection on the north side of the school building in preparation of additional floors (in the 6-8 floor area).

Steel erection on the south/East 84th Street side of the building (in the 6-8 floor area).

Removal of mechanical equipment and installation of new mechanical (HVAC) equipment.

This work (#1-3) is necessary to begin before the additional floors are added to the school.

During the 2017/2018 academic year crane operations will take place on Saturdays, including over some long weekends and holidays. However, no crane activity is planned for Sundays during the academic year.

Beginning in Late Spring 2018 and continuing through late Summer 2018, the tower crane will be used to lift steel over the main building for the three additional floors. In order to complete the steel erection program during this period while the building is not occupied, crane activity may take place Monday-Saturday. No crane activity is planned for Sundays during the summer of 2018.

From late Summer through Winter 2018, the crane will be used to lift building components (ex., mechanical equipment, HVAC, etc.) before disassembly and removal.

Depending on the crane strategy and operations being carried out, there will be approximately 10-20 workers dedicated to the exterior steel component of the project at a given time. An additional 30-40 workers will concentrate on interior work, such as, retrofitting mechanical equipment, weatherproofing and installing interior finishes.

Trucks carrying supplies will approach from York Avenue and pull into the shed entrance head first. To exit, those trucks will reverse out of the shed and drive toward and out onto East End Avenue. A flagperson will briefly stop traffic while this happens.

The crane will pick up materials from within the sidewalk bridge and on school property.

The crane’s rotation, when in use, will be toward the school building.

During operation, the crane will not extend or lift materials over any of the neighboring buildings.

The counterweight, which provides balance and stability, will extend over 15 feet of East 84th Street.

When picks and deliveries are in progress, certified flag people will be positioned at key locations to temporarily halt pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

The boom locks in an upright position when not in use.

When Crane is not in Operation:

Whenever the crane is not in operation, the Operating Engineer places the crane in “weathervane mode.” This means that the crane adjusts its position depending on the wind. The “turntable” is designed to rotate 360 degrees thus, in weathervane mode the crane is able to rotate with the wind as necessary.

During the last week of March 2018, additional sections were added to the crane, bringing it to its final height. When the crane is not in operation, the boom weathervanes at 15° or 158-foot radius, a position designed specifically for our tower crane and approved by the DOB.

Weather Conditions:

NYC DOB’s regulations for tower cranes set a wind speed operational limit of 30 mph. The crane is equipped with an anemometer to measure wind speed during operation on site. JRM installed an additional weather station located on a railing on the top floor of the hoist platform to further monitor weather conditions. If conditions dictate that the crane should not be used, crane operation will cease and it will be placed in its aforementioned weathervane mode. DOB issues weather advisories aimed at monitoring crane use. DOB can also cease crane use in anticipation of extreme weather.

Chapin appeared before the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) on Tuesday, September 1, 2015.

Chapin appeared before the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) on Tuesday, July 14, 2015.

The Chapin School and Manhattan Community Board 8 invites neighbors to Chapin for an informational meeting on Thursday evening, June 4, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. regarding the interior work currently underway to improve Chapin’s food service areas in the school’s basement. This work is independent of the proposed expansion project now under review by the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals.

Chapin presented its application before the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) on Tuesday, May 12.

Click HERE to view a May 29, 2015 letter posted in buildings and sent to neighbors who have provided their email addresses to Chapin.

Click HERE to view a letter sent May 15, 2015 to neighbors who have provided their email addresses to Chapin.

The information and slides below were shared at the community meeting held for neighbors at Chapin the evening of Wednesday, April 29, 2015

The Chapin School prepares a diverse and talented community of young women to thrive and lead in a global society through its dedication to academic excellence, personal integrity and community responsibility. Chapin cultivates in each student a love of learning, independent thinking, emotional resilience and a dedication to serving others.

Under One Roof

Miss Chapin’s extraordinary foresight in establishing our 100 East End Avenue location in 1928 has allowed Chapin’s leadership to plan renovations that meet our girls’ evolving needs while keeping the entire school together in this historic location—a rarity in New York City.

Charting our Path

For several years now, with the input of faculty, parents, alumnae and students, our planning groups have explored programmatic needs and associated space requirements in these areas:

Music and the performing arts

Athletics, fitness and play

Flexible classrooms and experiential learning

Student support

Professional Community support

Community

In addition, we have responded to our January 2014 NYSAIS reaccreditation report, which encouraged us to evaluate our facilities to ensure they reflect and support the aspirations of our current strategic plan, the focus of which is teaching and learning.

Based on this work, the school has created a plan that envisions the following enhancements to the Chapin footprint:

Adding a regulation-size gymnasium, rooftop turf practice field and fitness center to meet team requirements, better integrate play and exercise into our girls’ day-to-day routines and accommodate community gatherings

Establishing facilities for an expanded Performing Arts program

New flexible classrooms, a design studio and "maker" spaces that will promote collaboration, flexibility and research

This plan focuses on ensuring that students have access to the resources they need to succeed. Please clickHERE to view a schematic drawing of the current plan. ClickHERE to see photographic representations of how the building might look upon completion.

To make these changes, Chapin applied to the NYC Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA) for approval. As a first step, Chapin appeared before Community Board 8 on January 14, 2015, in a public hearing on our application. We look forward to continuing to work with our neighbors and participating in the BSA’s public review process.